Cactus Recipes

Here's one of my favorite ways to eat cactus, fried with scrambled eggs!I also like to fry potatoes and onions until almost done, add the eggs and scramble them until almost done, then add the cactus and cook it long enough to just heat the cactus. Then some salt and pepper and salsa as it is loaded into heated tortilla shells.....

These make excellent breakfast burritos and are an easy thing to wrap and take to work for lunch.

"Nopales are the edible, fleshy pads of the prickly pear cactus. They're harvested shortly after rains when they're plump, juicy and full of nutrients..... Follow this recipe and you'll be enjoying crispy, tempura-style nopales tacos in no time."

Just slice some potatoes and fry them along with some diced onion.....

when it's almost done add some eggs and stir to get them cooking.... place your diced cactus in as the eggs start cooking. the cactus does not really need a lot of cooking... and if you cook it too long it'll leak out and wither....

after the eggs have set roll the mix into warm tortilla shells to make easy breakfast burritos.

The cactus chunks have a great taste that you can detect in every bite.

Actually.... this and many others can taste even better the next day. So make lots and have extra so you can taste it after it's had a day to meld flavors... each bite of cactus is like a great taste exploding... it's hard to describe it really.... you'll just have to try it to see!

I was picking and packing nopal cactus today and had the urge to take pictures of the nopales pads.We have here Grade-D (juicing Grade) cactus and Grade -C Gourmet grade nopal cactus pads in these pics.This is the quality we've got being harvested right now.

Above we have Grade-C nopales cactus. This is the grade we recommend for most culinary uses. This is an easy-to prepare nopal cactus that needs just a wiping under running water to clean off. They are excellent raw in salsa or a cool refreshing cactus salad. They can also be mixed with other foods as another ingredient in a healthy diet. Add some nopalitos diced-fine to your meatloaf and see how much moister the loaf is. Fry nopales in with other vegetables in a stir fry. Fry some potatoes and scramble eggs in, as the eggs are almost done toss your chopped cactus in, stir and spoon them into tortillas to make breakfast burritos.

This photo shows the Grade D 'Juicing Grade' nopalea cactus we're harvesting right now. The quality and looks changes through the year, it is a plant that grows outdoors after all. These Grade-D Juicing-grade cactus are thicker skinned with more weight per nopal pad. These are the leaves that grew over the winter. They've seen a few storms, but they are full of life. This is the grade people who are going to juice them might want to use. They have a lot more fiber than the younger leaves.

The grass is rich and deep green, full of nutrients and holding the soil together. Many of the grasses are a meter tall and more.

Right now the grasses are shading the cactus and delaying awakening from the winter dormancy. In the coming weeks the seeds on the grasses will ripen and we'll cut the grass and use the stems as mulch to shade the soil. Once the nopal plants are opened to the warm sun they will take off well and continue growing through the summer.

Cactus juice, also known as nopales, nopalitos or prickly pear juice, is a popular beverage in Mexico, South America, India, the Middle East and parts of Europe. This beverage has recently caught on in popularity in the United States.

The fleshy oval leaves of the cactus plant have a sticky liquid that is similar to asparagus, green beans or green peppers. The nectar of this plant is composed of water, sugar and minerals.

The Nutritional Value of Cactus Juice

Cactus juice provides you with beta-carotene, vitamin B, vitamin C, iron, magnesium, calcium and numerous other minerals and vitamins. Additionally, this fruit is rich in amino acids, specifically taurine. Taurine has antioxidants and flavonoids, both of which are beneficial to the body.

Health Benefits of Cactus Juice

Cactus juice has shown to help to prevent inflammation in the muscles, arteries, gastrointestinal tract and cardiovascular region.

Cactus juice has a laxative effect and has shown to effectively treat constipation. In addition to easing constipation, cactus juice can reduce inflammation in the urethra and bladder.

Cactus juice is a good source of photochemicals, which can help strengthen the body's immune system.

Additionally, the nopal cactus has high levels of betalins, which are antioxidants.

The American Heart Association has conducted research examining the benefits of cactus juice in reducing cholesterol levels.

Cactus juice has shown to be an effective remedy for non-insulin diabetes. Research shows that cactus juice can help decrease and stabilize blood glucose and insulin levels

Enjoy 1 to 2 tbsp of cactus juice up to three times a day to benefit from the numerous benefits provided by this fruit.

Nutritional Value of Nopales

The wealth of health benefits that come from nopales are mainly attributable to its nutrition and vitamin content, which includes riboflavin, vitamin B6, copper, iron, fiber, vitamin-A, C, K, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and manganese. It is also an important source of certain organic compounds like phytochemicals and certain polysaccharides that also contribute to the health boosting power of nopales.

Health Benefits of Nopales

Digestion: Nopales are forms of cacti, so they are very fibrous and contain a great deal of dietary fiber. Dietary fiber is essential in the digestive process, because it adds bulk to bowel movements that make them easier to pass through the smooth muscles of the digestive tract.

Weight Loss: There are a number of components within nopales which can aid in weight loss. First, fiber can make the body feel full and inhibit the release of ghrelin, which is the hunger hormone, so overeating is reduced. Secondly, this plant is very low in saturated fat and cholesterol, but it is packed with metabolic potential, so the body works at a higher level without gaining weight.

Cancer Prevention: The variety of phytochemicals, flavonoid compounds, vitamin-C, and other antioxidants found in nopales make it extremely beneficial for the entire immune system, particularly when it comes to various cancers.

Metabolic Activity: One of the most important aspects of nopales in terms of health is its mineral and vitamin content. Nopales contain thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and vitamin-B6, all of which are vital components of cellular metabolism and normal, regulated enzyme function throughout the body.

Builds Strong Bones: The mineral content of this powerful cactus leaf includes a modest level of calcium, which is an essential part of building strong bones and repairing bones after being damaged.

Improve Sleep: This plant also contains magnesium,which is a useful mineral for inducing feelings of sleep for people suffering from insomnia, chronic anxiety or restlessness. It induces the release of serotonin in the body, which results in increased melatonin levels.

Inflammation: The juice that is taken out of the pickle pear leaves of nopales has been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects on a variety of body parts, including those symptoms associated with arthritis, injury, joint pain, and muscle strain.

Skin Health: The phytochemical and antioxidant characteristics of nopales make them a good defensive mechanism against premature aging symptoms, like wrinkles and age spots.

Diabetes: The extracts from the leaves of prickly pear cactus can be powerful regulators of glucose levels within the body. For patients with type 2 diabetes, it can cause a reduced spike in glucose levels following eating, which makes the management of diabetes easier.

Nopal cactus grows all over the world and it’s used as a great food in Mexico, South America, and many other areas of the world. And it has amazing health benefits such as: Its a powerful anti-inflammatory, a very good antioxidant, helps with weight loss, lowers cholesterol, has plant sterols to dissolves arterial plaques, lowers blood sugar, detoxes the liver, good immune booster, helps with gastric ulcers, lots of fiber, promotes the grow of probiotic bacteria, helps with hangovers, lowers blood sugar, lowers blood pressure and more.

Of course, good gloves and tongs help. With those tools you can have a very steady and nutritious supply of a tasty wild edible, and not only in warm areas. Cactus grow from Alaska to Argentina, or chilly Canada to chilly Chili, and other parts of the world. People have been eating Nopalea/Opuntia for at least 9,000. It’s not too late to join them.Read more about 'Cactus Cuisine'!